"Don't see necessity of combining Women's Reservation Bill with Delimitation": DMK's Kanimozhi

Chennai (Tamil Nadu) [India], April 15 : DMK MP Kanimozhi Karunanidhi on Wednesday termed the proposed linking of the Women's Reservation Bill with the Delimitation Bill as a "black day" for Tamil Nadu, raising serious concerns over its potential impact on southern states.

Speaking toin Chennai, Kanimozhi said, "It is a black day for Tamil Nadu because we don't see the necessity of combining and clubbing the Women's Reservation Bill with the Delimitation Bill."

She further questioned the lack of clarity on the delimitation process and warned that states with comparatively lesser population could face adverse consequences.

"There is no clarity on how the delimitation will be done and the states which have comparatively lesser population are going to suffer. Union Government keeps saying that we will be taken care of but we see nothing like that in the Bill. So, we are worried. If you go by the 2011 census, it will affect the southern states very badly and the number of seats will be reduced. It is a serious cause of concern. It will be taking away the rights of the people of Tamil Nadu and many states," she said.

The Nari Shakti Vandan Adhiniyam, 2023, which provides for 33 per cent reservation for women legislators, is linked to the delimitation process in the Lok Sabha. The government is planning to implement the women's reservation ahead of the 2029 General Elections by bringing in an amendment to the 2023 Act and a constitutional amendment to delink the delimitation process from the 2027 census.

According to sources, the government has proposed to increase the number of seats in the House to 850, with 815 seats proposed for the States and the remaining 35 for the Union Territories. The Lok Sabha has 543 seats at present.

The Centre has called a special sitting of Parliament from April 16 to 18.

While the seats in the Lok Sabha will witness a 50 per cent increase, the opposition parties have expressed concern as this increase will not be on a pro-rata basis for each state. The delimitation exercise, under Article 82 of the Constitution, is linked to the population of a constituency.

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